K ollam town, the headquarters
of Kollam district and Kollam taluk, has a hoary past.
It was an international emporium of trade and even now it
is a prosperous commercial centre. It is situated about
71 Kms. north of Thiruvavanathapuram and is linked by rail,
road and backwater transport.

The
town edges with the famous Ashtamudi lake. Many a foreign
traveler has visited Kollam in early medieval period.
It was one of the early centres of Christian activity in Kerala.
It is said that the present town of Kollam was built by the
Syrian Merchant; Sapir Iso, in the 9th Century A.D.
The popularity of Kollam has been established by the time
honoured proverb once you see Kollam, you will not need home
any more. Kollam is an important commercial, industrial and
trading centre. It is also the headquarters of Kerala
State Cashew Development Corporation.

The
144 ft. Thangassery Light House, built in 1902, is a centre
of attraction. The Ananda Valleswaram Temple here, attracts
people on almost all days. There are several Churches
and Mosques in and around Kollam. The Pullichira Church
was established in 1700 A.D. One of the oldest and most
important Mosques in the Chinnakkada Palli. The Thangal
Kunju Musliar College of Engineering, the first of its kind
in the private sector in the state, is at Kilikolloor,
about 7 Kms. east of Kollam town.

Mahatma Gandhi beach & park at Kochupilamoodu, Thirumullavaram
beach and Ashramam picnic Village, are some of the important
spots of local sight seeing, Mahatma Gandhi beach lies
just 2 Kms. from the town. It is fascinating place for
an evening. Thirumullawaram
Beach is 5 kms. from the town. The sea here is ideal
for swimming and bathing. Asramam picnic village is
located in the 48 acre Guest House Complex. This is
the centre of various tourism development activities of the
district.
The Government Guest House here is 200 years old. It
stands along Ashtamudi lake and is a major attraction for
its elegance rates. The adventure park, located in the shores
of the Ashtamudi backwaters, is a novel experiment in the
country. Different types of boats, including luxury
cruise boats, power boats and motor boats, are available on
hire from the boat jetty near to the Adventure Park.
A budget hotel for tourists, Yatri Nivas, run by Kerala Tourism
Development Corporation, is also located in this village.
The village is just 2 kms. away from the town.

Achencoil

Situated about 80 kms from Punalur is an
important pilgrim center. The Sastha temple here, situated
amidst dense forest. The idol of Sastha is supposed to have
been installed several centuries before the Christian Era.
The two important festivals of this temple are Mandala Pooja
(December-January) and the festival held at 'Revathi'(January-February).
The two notable features of the festival are the Therotam
(chariot festival) and Pushpabhishekam (offering of flowers).
In no other temple of the South India are flowers offered
to the deity so lavishly as at Achencoil.

Alumkadavu

Alumkadavu located at 26 Kms from Kollam
City and on the lakeside of Kollam-Alappuzha National Water
Way. The "Green Channel Back Water Resort" at Alumkadavu
makes itself a tranquil location for both foreign and Indian
Tourists. The scenic beauty of blue green stretches of serene
back water and rambling gardens of hundreds of coconut palms
give the Green Channel Resort an incomparable beauty.
Apart from providing tasty Kerala/North Indian/Chinese dishes
the resort offers excellent facilities like comfortable accommodation,
Back Water Cruise, visit to Matha Amritanandamayi Asramam,
which is only 4 KM away, House Boats, Ayurvedic treatment
for rejuvenation of body by qualified and experienced Ayurvedic
Practioner, canal tour with the unique opportunities to experience
the true village life and do fishing leisurely.

Amritapuri
located at 110 kms from capital of Kerala. Amritapuri is the
realisation of the ancient Indian ideal "the whole world
is one family" (vasudhaiva kutumbakam). By bus or train:
Kayamkulam (12 km north of Amritapuri) and Karunagappally
(10 km south) are the major cities to reach. By air and taxi:
The two closest airports are in Trivandrum (110 km south of
Amritapuri) and in Cochin (140 km north).

Anchal

Situated
13 kms south of Punalur, Anchal is known for its cattle market
held twice a month. The Mudi festival of the Bhagavathy temple
here, conducted once every 12 years, attract huge gatherings.

Aryankavu

Situated about 73 kms east of Kollam is
one of the important pilgrim centers of the district. From
very early days, it was an important trade route for merchants
from either sides of western Ghats. The chief attraction of
Aryankavu is the shrine dedication of Lord Sastha. The temple
has some fine sculptures and mural paintings. Thousands of
pilgrims flocks of this temple during the Mandala Pooja in
December. All trains towards Shencottah have a stop at Aryankavu.
About 5 kms away from Aryankavu there is a big waterfall known
as Palaravi meaning river of milk. It is one of the well-known
waterfalls in the south India, falling from a height of 300
feet. It is situated 66kms from Kollam on Kollam-Shencottah
road.

Chavara

Chavara is situated 14 kms north of Kollam on the Kollam-Alappuzha
road. Thousands of tonnes of mineral sand are exported from
Chavara to various countries. The Kovilthottam port is situated
within the limits of Chavara Panchayat. Four major industrial
establishments 1.Indian Rare Earths 2.The kerala Premo Pipe
factory 3.Kerala Mineral and Metal factory 4.Titanium Complex
are in Chavara.

Jetayu Para

Jetayu Para, a huge rock, is another attraction
in Kollam district. This huge rock is in the Chadayamangalam
village on the M.C road. The name comes from the epic Ramayana.
It is believed that Jatayu, the giant bird in the epic, fell
after failing in its attempt to spot Ravana from taking sita
away. The rock is ideal for trekking by the lovers of adventure.
The rock can be seen from the Chadayamangalam junction. itself.

Karunagappally

Karunagappally is situated 27 kms north
of Kollam. It is linked with Kollam by rail and road.
There is a mini civil station at Karunagappally .Padanayarkulangara,
which forms part of the town, was once the military station
at Kayamkulam Rajas. An idol of Buddha, recovered from a local
tank here, is now preserved in the Krishnapuram palace the
headquarters of Kayamkulam Rajas situated north of Oachira.
The town has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, two old mosques
and a mar Thomas Church.

Kottarakkara

Kottarakkara is the headquarters of Kottarakkara
Taluk. It is linked by both rail and road, a distance of 27
kms. It was once the capital of Elayadathu Swarupam, a principality
ruled by a branch of the Travancore Royal Family. The internationally
famous dance drama-Kath kali had its small beginning in this
town and it flourished under the patronage of Raja of Kottarakkara.

Kulathupuzha

Kulathupuzha is situated on the Thiruvannathapuram
- Sencottah road and is 10 kms south of Tenmala railway station.
It is and important forest range, well known for its elephants.
Reed, an essential raw materials for paper manufacture at
Punalur Paper mill, is partly supplied from Kulathupuzha valley.

Kundara

Kundara is linked with
Kollam by rail and road, a distance of 18 kms. Large deposit
of china clay discovered here, helped in the establishment
of the Government Ceramics.

Kunnicode

The main attraction of Kunnicode, situated
10 kms west pf Punalur ,is Pachilakunnu a small hillock where
a Muslim saint is said to have breathed his last.

Mayyanad

Mayyanadu,10 kms south of Kollam is noted
for its shrines and temples. The most important temple is
the one at Umayanallor, dedicated to Lord Subramanian. The
shrine is said to have been consecrated by Shri. Sankaracharya
of Kaladi. Besides the temples, there are three churches and
a Mosque. Cotton weaving and oil pressing are the main occupation
in the village.

Neendakara

Situated about 8 kms north of Kollam , Neendakara is the Headquarters
of the Indo-Norwegian Fisheries Community project, which was
established in 1953.The important institutions under this
project are the boat building yard at Sakthikulangara the
Fisherman's Training Institute, the ice factory and the refrigeration
Plant. Neendakara Port, the hub of fishing activities is here.

Oachira

Situated ,32 kms north of Kollam on the Kollam Alappuzha National
Highway and on the boundary of Kollam district, Oachira is
a unique pilgrim center. The peculiarity of the temple here
is that there is no temple building as such nor is there any
idol. All classes of people workship the presiding deity the
parabrahmam. Oachira draws thousands of Pilgrims for Oachirakkali,
a festival held annually in June. It is also an important
handicraft center where fancy articles of screw pine mats
are manufactured.

Palaruvi Water Falls

The famous waterfall in Kollam District is situated at Palaruvi
near Aryankavu, Kollam - Sencottah NH 208. Season to visit
the places is from June to January.

Paravur

Paravur is an important fishing and coir production center.
It is situated 13 kms south of Kollam and is connected with
Kollam town by rail and road. It is the birth place of K.C.Kesavan
Pillai(1865-1913) and Kesava Asan(1869-1917) ,two leading
literary men of eminence.

Pathanapuram

An important trading center on the banks
of the Kallada river, Pathanapuram is 13 kms away from Punalur.
The Chandanakkudam mahotsavam of the mosque there, celebrated
every year in February-March atrtacts thousands of devotees.

Pattazhi

Pattazi is the seat of an ancient temple,
dedicated to Bhagavathy. The Mudi is the major festival of
this temple.

Punalur

Punalur is one of the important industrial centers of kerala.
It is 45 kms from Kollam on the Kollam-Shencotta railway line
and is also linked with Kollam by road. The Suspension bridge
accross the Kallada river erected in 1877,is the only one
of its kind in south India and it is 400 ft long. A
concrete bridge has been constructed near by and now the suspension
bridge is only of archaeological interest. Punalur is the
head Quarters of Pathanapuram Taluk.

Sasthamcotta Lake

Sasthamcottah is an attractive village situated
about 19 kms. from Kollam Town. It is a beauty spot,
a health resort and a centre of pilgrimage. The extensive
freshwater lake here, is said to be the biggest of its kind
in Kerala. Water supply to the Kollam town is met by
purifying the water from this lake. Buses are frequently
operated to Sasthamcottah, which can truly be called as Queen
of Lakes.
The Sasthamkotta lake the largest freshwater lake in Kerala is surrounded by hills on all sides except south where a bund has been constructed separating the lake from the neighbouring rice fields. A large part of the lake has been reclaimed for agriculture. The source of water is from the underground sprouts. The lake has a capacity to hold 22390 million litres of water and serves as the source of drinking water for half a million people of Kollam district.

Thangassery

Thangassery
is a place of historical importance situated 5 kms. away from
Kollam town. The churches here are pretty old, having
been established in the 18th century. The chief attraction
of the place is the light house, built in 1902. The
144 ft. light house stands as a sentinel, warning seamen
of the treacherous reefs of Thangassery. The construction
of a fishing harbour is in progress. Thangassery was
an enclave of the Portuguese, Dutch and British in succession.
The remnants of the Portuguese and Dutch forts still exits.

Thazhava

Thazhava in Oachira block is an important
center of screw pine mat industry. An Image of Buddha,
discovered from a tank known as Pallikkulam near Maruthoorkulangra
is one of the interesting archaeological relics, associated
with Kollam district

Thenmala

Thenmala is the meeting point of Kollam-Shencottah
road and Trivandrum-Shencottah road, surrounded by dense forest,
66 kms east of Kollam. There are a large number of rubber
and tea plantations in Thenmala. Timber of all varieties are
exported from here to all parts of the country. Themala Dam
site is open for tourists. Eco tourists center is situated
at Thenmala. All buses passing through Kollam-Shencottah road
stop at Tenmala. There is also a Railway Station here.